Hotel Sues State Sen. Over Unpaid Tab

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A hotel is suing Missouri state Sen. Robin Wright-Jones over an unpaid tab for her 60th birthday party, claiming Capitol lobbyists picked up some — but not all — of the $6,000 cost.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday that the suit was filed this week by the Four Seasons Hotel, which shares a building with Lumiere Casino in downtown St. Louis. Wright-Jones, a Democrat from St. Louis, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The lawsuit filed in St. Louis claims the tab for the party in January 2010 was $6,000. It alleges Wright-Jones owes the Four Seasons $3,658 for the unpaid portion and additional costs.

The newspaper cites court papers and other public documents suggesting that at least $2,000 of the bill was paid by lobbyists who work in Jefferson City.

Invoices submitted with the lawsuit reflect four payments of $500 each. The Post-Dispatch said the checks correspond to four $500 payments that appear on Ethics Commission forms filed by lobbyists who spent money on Wright-Jones’ behalf last year.

Veteran lobbyist John Bardgett acknowledged he received a call last year from a Wright-Jones aide “asking if I could assist in paying for part of a birthday party.”

Lobbyists in Missouri routinely buy meals, gifts and trips for lawmakers. It is legal if disclosed.

Bardgett, whose clients include the Cardinals and the Las Vegas company that runs Lumiere, said Wright-Jones’ request did not strike him as unusual. When lawmakers throw a party, he said, it’s often lobbyists who are asked to pay.

A menu attached to the suit showed that the party featured coconut shrimp hors d’oeuvres, a “made-to-order pasta station,” roasted sirloin of beef with port wine sauce and a vanilla sheet cake with strawberries reading “Happy 60th Birthday Robin!”

One Comment

There are so many things wrong with this, it’s hard to know where to start.
• Why can’t she pay for her own damn birthday party?
• What do the lobbyists expect in return for paying for her party?
• How much will it cost Missouri Tax Payers for the “payback” that lobbyists will get in return for paying for her birthday party?
• And the biggest smack in the face of all of this, is that that she doesn’t even care about issues like this getting out in the media as her constituents are so ignorant that this will not impede her re-election efforts in the least bit.
WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE OVER ARROGANT POLITICIANS THAT ACT LIKE THIS!!!!!!

Oh, I have outrage, all right. But it doesn’t do any good because I’m not part of a lobbying interest. The system protects the system. Politicians protect lobbyists and lobbyists protect politicians. The people are left out of that equation.